American doctor with full US citizenship told to leave the country
American doctor receives false DHS alert (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
A Connecticut-based physician says she was ordered to leave the United States — even though she was born in Pennsylvania, reports NBC News.
Dr. Lisa Anderson, a 58-year-old physician from Cromwell, Connecticut, was shocked to discover an unexpected email from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in her inbox.
The message, with the subject line "It is time for you to leave the United States," appeared to be a deportation notice — directed at someone who, by all legal standards, is a US citizen.
"I was born in Pennsylvania," Anderson told NBC Connecticut. "The language seemed pretty threatening to whomever it might actually apply to."
She immediately began carrying her passport at all times and is now seeking legal representation to clear up the situation.
DHS blames misdirected communication
Federal immigration authorities confirmed that emails like these are part of a broader initiative encouraging "self-deportation" for individuals lacking legal status.
A senior DHS official said some notices may have been misdirected: "If a non-personal email — such as an American citizen contact — was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients."
They added that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is monitoring the situation and will respond to issues on a case-by-case basis.
Anderson isn’t alone. Just days earlier, Boston immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni — also a US citizen — reported receiving a nearly identical email.
"I don’t have anything to do with immigration," Anderson emphasized, noting that the incident raises concern for others who may have ignored the email as spam.
This incident comes as the US intensifies its immigration crackdown. As part of new federal policy, immigration judges have been instructed to fast-track deportation cases and dismiss legally weak claims without hearings, further fueling concerns about fairness and accuracy in the system.
Lives at risk under strict immigration rules
Earlier this year in Texas, an entire family was deported despite their 10-year-old daughter — a US citizen — requiring urgent care following brain tumor surgery.
The parents, who had no criminal record, were removed along with four of their five American-born children, despite the potential life-threatening consequences for the child.
Just weeks before that, in Illinois, a Venezuelan man faced deportation after coming to the US to save his brother’s life by donating a kidney.
It was only after pressure from human rights advocates that he was temporarily allowed to remain in the country and continue the transplant evaluation process.
Against the backdrop of such stories, Dr. Lisa Anderson’s case — as a US citizen by birth — underscores the scope and chaos of a system where even American citizens can become targets of aggressive immigration enforcement.
